Mouthpiece for Pops/Wind Ensemble Playing

[Jaw04]

Hmm, I've never had headaches from playing or stuffiness in the ear regardless of a tight or open mouthpiece/horn. I haven't known any players to have that problem either that I know of. Sure we've all gotten light-headed from standing up and playing high, but this sounds different. I don't think it's the 3C, or the gap.

[delano]

I just re-read your story from January about you changing horns and I think you have to look in that direction. I play-tested a lot of (piston) horns of Schagerl though not the JM horns. I found them all difficult to play. Not that they are bad, certainly not, but just difficult to play. Maybe it has something to do with a weird resistance for me. That made me to play that horns too high on the pitch.
Maybe it's possible to correct that with a mouthpiece with a bigger throat and/or backbore but I don't think it's the way to go for you. Obviously there is something wrong with your embouchure that probably was always there but has been triggered by the new horn to a level that it is disturbing your playing now. Your embouchure seems to choke you off.
There can be a serious problem with your embouchure but also a possibility of a minor problem. That's impossible to judge via the internet.
For now: forget about the mouthpieces. Rule 1: nobody can via the internet advise anybody about which mouthpiece to use.
Further: IF you have embouchure problems it is the wrong moment to hassle with mouthpieces, the Bach 3C is just a middle of the road mouthpiece, nothing more, nothing less.
Then, try to play everything relaxed IN the sweet spot of the horn, let the horn do the job, not your tension. May feel now contra-intuitive but it may help.
Think about the placement of your mouthpiece on your lips, often when the placement is too high you will have that choking-off signals. Move the mouthpiece down, at first you can't play at all but especially the low register can open up spectacularly. Then you may know which way to go.
And, more for relaxing, try another horn from a friend or so, preferably an open horn, only for the feeling. But the hardware is always secondary, your playing is the main business.

[Crazy Finn]

Equipment doesn't fix technique.
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LA Benge 3X Bb Trumpet
Selmer Radial Bb Trumpet
Yamaha 6335S Bb Trumpet
Besson 709 Bb Trumpet
Bach 184L Bb Cornet
Yamaha 731 Bb Flugelhorn

[Phoenix864]

Thanks all for the responses. I would agree that something is up with my embouchure, though unfortunately I have no idea what to do to fix it. I recently was able to borrow a 3C with a 24 throat and backbore. After a couple days of playing on it I can say that a more open piece isn't doing much for me. It certainly isn't bad, but just like on the stock 3C I can barely squeak out a G above high C and the 'resistant' feel remains across the registers.

At this point, I've tried:
Moving the mouthpiece higher/lower.
Focusing on shifting additional pressure to the lower lip/jaw.
Decreasing my internal air pressure.
Using less mouthpiece pressure.
Playing softer.
Focusing on tongue position.

Frankly, none of these attempts helped much - either they didn't do anything, or I was unable to play with the change. At this point, it seems like the only way to solve this will be an in-person lesson, something that is understandably difficult to set up today. Until then, hopefully I can manage to find a tweak that reduces the backpressure I feel while playing.

[Ed Kennedy]

When I need a tonic, I look up this guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVREWJ4xfoI&list=PL976DE9A62F7DEA55

Urban Agnes and his "Superflow"

His approach reminds me of Arnold Jacobs approach to airflow. Check out the Jacobs youtube videos as well.

[PMonteiro]

I usually find that C cups get stuffy and sharp in the upper register. My Bach 1 1/2B has great intonation and an open blow. Oddly enough, I can scream above the staff with it much more easily than with my 1 1/2C. The trade-off is the B cup requires more effort to project.

You say that a 24/24 3C didn't help. Maybe the cup or rim itself is holding you back? Shallower cups are worse in this regard IMO. Also, an alpha angle or undercut that is too high can easily back up on you. My 3CW (which bears little resemblance to a 3C) is extremely stuffy above the staff, with a high alpha angle of 24 degrees. The 3C is 18 degrees, but that could still be high for you. Every player is different.

I drilled out a really stuffy Blessing 3C last year, and while the sound and blow opened up, the upper register still isn't the easiest. I've gotten slightly better results by boring out my Yamaha 14A4a. But this might be better suited to a thread on mouthpiece drilling.

I currently play on a Bach 5C, which projects well with a good round sound, but can back up real bad in the upper and extreme lower registers. For me, the 5C is the "lesser of evils" of C cups and feels the closest to my 1 1/2B, which I now think works better on C trumpet.

In all cases, beware of overblowing. That can shut things down quickly. Otherwise, the issue might involve equipment or it might not. YMMV.
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YTR-6335HSII
YTR-2320
Accord in C